Toxoplasmosis in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the St Lawrence estuary: two case reports and a serological survey.

Possible mechanisms of action of environmental contaminants on St. Lawrence beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas).

A small isolated population of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) that are highly contaminated by pollutants, mostly of industrial origin, resides in the St. Lawrence estuary, Québec, Canada. Overhunting in the first half of the century was the probable cause for this population to dwindle from several thousand animals to the current estimate of 500. The failure of the population to recover ...

Contaminants and Health of Beluga Whales of the Saint Lawrence Estuary

Causes of mortality in St. Lawrence Estuary beluga (Delphinapterus leuca) from 1983 to 2012

Systemic Effects of Arctic Pollutants in Beluga Whales Indicated by CYP1A1 Expression

Cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) is induced by exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs) such as non-ortho polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In this study, we examined CYP1A1 protein expression immunohistochemically in multiple organs of beluga whales from two locations in the Arctic and from the St. Lawrence estuary. These beluga popul...

Status of Beluga (delphinapterus Leucas) in the St. Lawrence River Estuary

The St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) beluga are listed as threatened under the Species at Risk Act; a Recovery Strategy is defined, and their summer Critical Habitat has been identified. A review of the SLE beluga status (2007) concluded that the population was stable over the period 1988-2006. However, in recent years there has been an increase in reports of death of young-of-the-year, and an appare...